It is the second largest lake in Myanmar with an estimated surface area of
44.9 square miles (116 km2), and one of the highest at an elevation of 2,900
feet (880 m). During the dry season, the average water depth is 7 feet (2.1 m),
with the deepest point being 12 feet (3.7 m), but during the rainy season this
can increase by 5 feet (1.5 m).

INLE LAKE IS FAMOUS FOR...

...being home to over twenty species of snails and nine
species of fish found nowhere else in the world.

...becoming the Myanmar's
first designated place of World Network of Biosphere Reserves. It was one of 20
places added at the Unesco's 27th Man and the Biosphere (MAB) International
Coordinating Council (ICC) meeting.

The village of Nampan is an excellent example of a
traditional Inle Lake village, with its wooden houses all built on stilts. In
the village you will find hand-made cheroot (traditional local cigar) factories
and the oldest pagoda on the lake, the Alodaw Pauk Pagoda, a large
gem-encrusted golden shrine. There are also several good, affordable
restaurants here.

Just to the north of the village, you will find
floating gardens where the Intha people grow a variety of vegetables and
flowers, both for their own consumption and to export around the country. This
method of agriculture is another unique aspect of life on the lake, as the
villagers harness nature to develop these gardens over many generations.

Located on the eastern shore of Inle Lake, half of
Maing Thauk village is on the lake and half is on land, with the two parts
linked by a long wooden bridge. Here you will find a bustling market and,
further up the side of the mountain, the Maing Thauk Forest Monastery, from
where you can see lovely views over lake. Maing Thauk can be reached either as
part of a boat tour or by bicycle from Nyaung Shwe.

Ywama is another good example of a traditional Inle
Lake settlement, and is most famous for its floating market. It also has
various handicraft workshops, a monastery and a pagoda. Beautiful as it is,
this village has become a focal point of tourism on Inle Lake, and can
sometimes get very crowded – if you want to avoid the crowds, get there early
in the morning. There are a number of excellent restaurants to be found on the
canal to Ywama village, serving traditional Shan food, as well as other Chinese
and Myanmar dishes.

The village of Indein (also spelt Inn Thein, and
meaning ‘shallow lake’) is most famous for its crumbling and atmospheric groups
of ancient pagodas, some of which are now being restored. These include Nyaung
Oak, immediately behind the village, with its carvings of mythical creatures,
and Shwe Inn Thein Paya, which can be found at the top of a covered stairway
leading up the hill; this features many hundreds of densely packed stupas to be
explored – both ruined and restored. From Shwe Inthein Paya you can also see
some wonderful views across the lake. Inthein village also has a vibrant
market.

Nga Hpe Kyaung monastery, located on the lake, is
constructed from wood and features a beautiful meditation hall. It was famous
for its jumping cats; the local monks trained them to jump through hoops. This
practice has now stopped, however – due to the cats becoming arthritic and/or
because they thought it was an unfair practice. The monks were always honest
enough to say it was only done for the tourists!

But cat lovers are well catered for on Inle Lake; the
Inthar Heritage House, a beautiful structure located in the middle of the lake
and built from reclaimed wood, is a restaurant, art gallery and cat sanctuary.
The Burmese Cat preservation project has carried out a breeding program to
reintroduce these elegant felines to Myanmar.

This pagoda is one of the holiest sites in Shan State,
and is visited by Buddhist worshippers from all around Myanmar. The shrine
itself is huge and features five ancient golden Buddhas, and next to it can be
found a large golden barge, a replica of the one said to have been used by King
Alaung Sithu to travel around the country.

The Phaung Daw U Pagoda festival takes place in
October and features the passage of four revered Buddha images around the
villages of Inle Lake on the barge, taking 18 days to complete their journey.
There are also rowing competitions between the villages, using the renowned
local leg rowing style.

LIFESTYLE

If you want to find out more about Inle Lake in Myanmar, watch the video
below. It’s inspiring!

It is so nice to read and see the pictures of Myanmar: it makes me feel nostalgic about the time I travelled there, specially about Lake Inle (I recognize the Phaung Daw Pagoda and the jumping cat monastery!)!Greetings, Laeti